Biography

Marilyn Manson released a cover version as the first single from Smells Like Children (1995), an EP of covers, remixes and interludes. In his 1998 autobiography, the band's eponymous vocalist said he fought their label to have this track released as a single, saying: "They didn't want to release [it], which I knew would be a song that even people who didn't like our band would like. [Nothing] wanted to release our version of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' 'I Put a Spell on You', which was far too dark, sprawling and esoteric, even for some of our own fans. We battled the label this time, and learned we could win. ... It was a disheartening experience, but it didn't hurt half as much as the fact that no one at our label ever congratulated us on the success of the song."[63] The track became the band's first legitimate hit. The music video was directed by American photographer Dean Karr,[64] and was shot near downtown Los Angeles. It featured images of the vocalist self-mutilating while wearing a tutu,[65] as well as scenes of him riding a pig.[66] It was placed on heavy rotation on MTV,[67] and was nominated for Best Rock Video at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards.[68] In 2010, Billboard rated it the "scariest music video ever made", beating Michael Jackson's "Thriller".[65][66] The video also appeared at number three in the publication's 2013 list of "The 15 Scariest Music Videos Ever".[69] Dave Stewart has said that he liked this version of his song, and that "the video was one of the scariest things [he]'d seen at the time."[70] As of 2020, the track has sold 80,000 copies through digital retailers in the United Kingdom, where it is also the band's most streamed music video, generating almost 12 million audio and video streams.[71] The song went on to appear on the band's 2004 greatest hits album, Lest We Forget: The Best Of. It also featured on soundtracks to the films Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005),[72] Gamer (2009),[73] and A Perfect Day (2015),[74] in movies such as House on Haunted Hill (1999),[75] and Trick 'r Treat (2007),[76] as well as the trailer for Wrath of the Titans (2012),[77] in the pilot episode of The Following,[78] on the BBC drama Luther,[79] and the Nature three-part miniseries "Okavango: River of Dreams".[80] Britney Spears created a music video using Manson's version of the song.[81] This video – also directed by Chris Ashbrook – was used as an interlude on her 2009 concert tour The Circus Starring Britney Spears.[82]